A new, £1.1m (US$1.8m, €1.4m) training centre for volunteers working at nature reserves is to be built in Rutland, UK.

The building, built over two floors and covering 558sq m (6,000sq ft), will have the capacity to train 350 volunteers at any one time with skills that can be applied to all of the UK’s 385 national nature reserves.

The volunteer training centre, which will be built within the Rutland Water nature reserve, will include meeting rooms, a workshop, bunk room for residential courses, plus washing and cooking facilities.

Those enlisted with the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife trust will be able to take training at the centre, with training for new volunteers covering all aspects of land and visitor management and wildlife monitoring, including coppicing, building fences, laying paths and working in shops and visitor centres.

Existing volunteers will also be able to use the building for further training in land and visitor management, as well as wildlife monitoring and other skills.

The building is being funded through an £800,000 (US$1.3m, €1m) grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) with a further £100,000 (US$166,000, €124,000) coming from Anglian Water. An appeal has been launched by the Wildlife Trust to raise the remainder of the funding needed to complete the centre.